In-situ biofabrication of stratified biofilm mimics for direct observation of bacterial signaling
Part Of
2012 38th Annual Northeast Bioengineering Conference, NEBEC 2012
Start Page
412
End Page
413
ISBN (of the container)
9781467311410
DOI (of the container)
10.1109/NEBC.2012.6207139
ISBN
9781467311410
Date Issued
2012-03
Author(s)
DOI
10.1109/NEBC.2012.6207139
Abstract
Cell-cell signaling is essential to biological functions. Communications between individual cells, clusters of cells and populations exist in complex networks that, in sum, guide behavior. However, there are few experimental approaches that enable high content interrogation of individual and multicellular behaviors at length and time scales commensurate with the signal molecules and cells themselves. Biofabrication in microfluidics represents one such approach that enables in-situ organization of living cells in microenvironments with spatiotemporal control and programmability. We construct bacterial biofilm mimics that offer detailed understanding and subsequent control of population-based bacterial signaling. Our approach reveals signaling patterns among bacterial cells within a single biofilm as well as behaviors that are coordinated between two communicating biofilms. Our biofabrication strategy is versatile for cell-cell interaction studies and small molecule drug discovery.
Event(s)
38th Annual Northeast Bioengineering Conference, NEBEC 2012
Subjects
Biomembranes
Microorganisms
Fluorescence
Assembly
Microchannel
Microfluidics
MIMICs
Publisher
IEEE
Description
Article number 6207139
16 March 2012through 18 March 2012
16 March 2012through 18 March 2012
Type
conference paper